Paul wrote a nice letter to Saratoga’s engineering department informing them that “advising cyclists to break the law is not a good idea.” He suggests alternatives in his note:

Advise cyclists to “take the lane.”

Warn motorists of merging cyclists.

Close half of the right hand lane and make it a temporary bike lane

If you’re on a city BPAC, make yourself aware of road projects in your town so you can catch this stuff before the city or its contractors spends money on signs like this. Telling pedestrians to cross to the other side of the road is common when a sidewalk is closed for construction, but cyclists are not pedestrians. Instructing cyclists to travel the wrong way on a heavily traveled road with many many commercial driveways reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of cycling safety.

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Ouch. Boulder’s been doing road work on a heavily traveled (both car, bus, and bike traffic) road. For the time being, there are semi-permanent signs posted that say: 1. “Bike Lane Closed Ahead” and 2. “Bikes Merge with Traffic” (I think, I’m not totally sure on the verbiage for the 2nd sign, but basically, it’s saying “take the lane”.)

The sign is folly. And for the safety of cyclists and drivers, it would be better to take it down as soon as possible. It’s like saying “this road is closed, so why won’t you go on a collision course?” I think cordoning off a temporary bike lane is a lot easier for everyone.